Devices for hanging and gathering slidable curtains



June 18, 1968 s. SILVESTRE 3,388,734

DEVICES FOR HANGING AND GATHERING SLIDABLE CURTAINS Filed April 27, 1965 :4 I I M INVENTOR S'AB/NO S/LVESTRE PAS-Q BY m /m ATTORNEYS United States Patent 0 l 3,388,734 DEVICES FOR HANGING AND GATHERING SLKDABLE CURTAINS Sabine Silvestre, Rio de Janeiro 106, Buenos Aires, Argentina Filed Apr. 27, 1965, Ser. No. 451,151. 4 Claims. (Cl. 160348) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present device is for hanging and gathering slidable curtains and for this purpose includes a border attached to the top marginal end of the curtain material and which is provided with a plurality of aligned holes to be engaged by a supporting bar such as a curtain rod, a plurality of eyelets are each fixedly mounted through one of said holes and have a tongue extending therefrom with the tongues of each adjacent pair of eyelets extending diametrically opposite from one another and have fastening means whereby the free ends of the tongues of each adjacent pair of eyelets can be detachably connected for drawing the eyelets towards one another providing the gathering of the curtain material when hung from a supporting bar.

In US. Patent No. 3,155,150 issued to the applicant on Nov. 3, 1964, there is disclosed a device for hanging and gathering slidable curtains which comprises a row of aligned eyelets engageable by a supporting bar, a plurality of flexible tongues, each connecting together an adjacent pair of eyelets, and a strip member connecting said tongues together and holding said pairs of eyelets in faceto-face relation for gathering the curtain.

In the device disclosed in said patent, the flexible tongues connect together the adjacent pairs of eyelets at opposing positions which are closest to each other and do not actually gather the curtain, this latter function being performed by the aforesaid strip member connecting together the flexible tongues.

The device in accordance with the present invention does not require a strip member for gathering the curtain, said gathering being obtained exclusively through the action of a particular arrangement of flexible tongues connecting together adjacent pairs of eyelets.

The main object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a device for hanging and gathering slidable curtains which comprises a curtain having an upper band of flexible material having a plurality of spaced eyelets capable of being engaged by a supporting bar, each eyelet having a tongue extending therefrom for connecting together adjacent pairs of said eyelets, the tongues of each adjacent pair of eyelets extending from points of said eyelets which are diametrically opposite to the positions at which such pair of eyelets are closest to each other, the tongues in each adjacent pair of eyelets having mating fastening means capable of holding said pair of adjacent eyelets substantially in face-to-face relation.

The tongues may be integrally formed with the eyelets, for example by molding a plastic resin or the like.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood and readily carried into practice, one of the preferred embodiments thereof has been illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a curtain 3,388,734 Patented June 18, 1968 incorporating the hanging and gathering device in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the manner in which the tongues of adjacent pairs of curtain eyelets are connected together in order to gather the curtain; and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a pair of eyelets with their corresponding tongues as applied to a curtain, clearly showing one form of tongue fastening means.

The same reference characters are used to indicate like or corresponding parts or elements throughout the drawrngs.

With reference to the drawings, and particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, the devices of this invention are shown as applied to a curtain comprising a fabric or flexible sheet 1 having an upper reinforcing band 2 formed with a plurality of aligned spaced holes 3-4 and 5-6 which are engageable by a supporting bar 7 shown in dash-lines in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Said holes 3-4 and 5-6 are reinforced by eyelet members 8-9 and 10-11 which are preferably made of metal so as to slide on said supporting bar 7, said eyelet members having tongues 12-13 and 14-15 extending thererom and preferably made of plastic material, the respective free ends of said tongues having buttonholes 16 and buttons 17 for fastening together each pair of tongues as clearly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Instead of buttons and buttonholes, the tongues may be provided with snap fasteners such as 18-19 shown in FIG. 2.

It will be seen from the drawings, and particularly from FIG. 3, that the tongues 12-13 are fixed to the eyelets 8-9 at the zones spaced by the greatest distance b of each adjacent pair, i.e., at positions which are diametrically opposite to those which are opposing and spaced by the minimum distance a when the curtain is laid flat as shown in FIG. 3.

When the connecting elements 16-17 or 18-19 are fastened together as shown in FIG. 2, the holes 3-4 and 5-6 will face each other and remain almost coaxial so as to facilitate the sliding of the curtain along the supporting bar 7.

By providing more than one buttonhole 16 or snap fastener 18 on each cooperating tongue, it will be possible to adjust the face-to-face relation of the eyelets 8-9, 10-11 so that there will be a minimum friction between them and the supporting bar 7.

It will be readily understood that the fastening together of the tongues corresponding to each pair of eyelets will cause the gathering of the curtain 1 as clearly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been described and illustrated by way of example, it should be understood that many changes and/or modifications will occur to those skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the invention as clearly set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for hanging and gathering a slidable curtain of the type including an upper band of flexible material having a row of aligned spaced holes engageable by a supporting bar, which comprises a plurality of pairs of eyelet members each extending through one of the upper band holes and fixedly attached to said upper band, a plurality of flexible elongated tongue members each at- 5 tached to and extending from a different one of said pair of eyelet members, the tongues of each pair of eyelet members being jointed thereto at positions on said pair of eyelet members which are diametrically opposite to positions on said pair of eyelet members which are closest to each other, and mating fastening means carried by each tongue of said pair of adjacent eyelets.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of said eyelet and tongue members are integral with each other and made of a resilient highly flexible material such as a synthetic resin.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said tongue fastening means are formed of the same material as said tongues.

4 4. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said tongue fastening means are adhered to said tongues.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,958,436 5/1934 Hess 160348 2,573,441 10/1951 Hess. 3,155,150 11/1964 Silvestre 160348 10 DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner.

EARL I. WITMER, Examiner.

P. C. KANNAN, Assistant Examiner. 

